Dec. 26 | Application

There Will Be a Last Time

By David Faust

My son and I painted the outside of his house last summer. When the job was over, I told Matt, “This is the last time we’ll do that together. Years from now when the house needs to be painted again, I will be too old to climb a ladder.”

I remember the day my grandfather handed his car keys to my dad. Grandpa was a capable and independent man, but he was wise enough to recognize his limitations. That was the last time he ever drove a car.

The “last time” can sneak up on us. One morning a healthy-looking young father led his family in a prayer of thanksgiving before his kids left for school. His heart gave out while they were gone, and a few days later I conducted his funeral.

On this fallen, faltering earth, there will be a last time for all kinds of things. In the future, the house I live in now will belong to someone else. One day my clothes will be donated to a thrift store or tossed into the trash. Someone else will drive my car, and eventually it will rust in a junkyard. Someday my savings will be distributed to my next of kin.

There will be a last time I pet my dog and mow my lawn. There will be a last time I eat my favorite meal and watch a ballgame on TV. There will be a last time I kiss my wife and hug my kids and grandkids. There will be a last time I watch the sun rise, enjoy a mountain view, and hear a bird sing. Some Sunday will mark the last church service I attend and the last time I share in the Lord’s Supper. Someone has said that preachers should approach every sermon as if it’s the last time they will ever preach the Word of God. Someday that will, in fact, be the case.

There will be a last time. There will be final words to say and a final breath to take.

But . . . the story doesn’t end with our last heartbeat. Yes, “the world and its desires pass away,” but the rest of the verse says, “whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). For all who have been saved by God’s grace, what we call the end is actually the beginning.

There will be a first time!

After death I will open my eyes to a never-ending day. In my new resurrected body, I will begin to examine a safe and spacious land where tears never flow but the river of life always flows. There will be a first time I embrace friends who arrived ahead of me. There will be a first time I walk on golden streets and hear the angels sing their melodies of praise around the throne of God. There will be unlimited time to explore a glorious place no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and “no human mind has conceived” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

The first time I glimpse the Holy City that shines with the unfiltered glory of God, I won’t worry about the last time my back ached or tears filled my eyes.

And the first time I see the Savior’s face, I won’t miss anything I left behind.

Personal Challenge: Begin assembling a “When I Die” box. It should include your will, financial information for your family and executor, instructions about your funeral preferences, and encouraging notes you want to share with your family and friends. Make sure it also includes a list of your favorite Scriptures and a written or videotaped personal testimony about your faith in the Lord.